Photographing death

A taboo-breaking exhibition opens today at the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition 'Reveries: Photography and Mortality' features portraits of people dying, dead or, in some instances, simply the space where they used to be.

Some photographers have made their most personal work publicly available for the first time. Guest curator Helen Ennis believes the practice of photographing dying or dead loved ones is surprisingly common, and hopes this exhibition will offer reassurance to those who have kept their photos secret.